Pattekt-hawdling apparatus foe



T. L. FOUST.

PATIENT HANDLING APPARATUS FOR BEDS..

APPLICATION FILED APR. I2. 1917- Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

Quilt new attozuutd,

UNITED STATES EN OFFICE *rHEononn L. rousr; OF-TERRE HAUTE, INDIAPATInNT-H nnLINe APPARATUS non. BEDS.

To all whomitmag concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE L. Foos'r, a

citizen of the United' States, residing at Terre Haute,

useful Patient-Handling Apparatus for Beds, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention .relates to. apparatus for handling patients, andincludes certain features forming a partof .the "structure disclosed inPatent No. 1,197 ,731, issued tome on September 12, 1916. 7

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means whereby thesheet on which the patient is resting can be fastened to an elevator sothat by actuating the elevator the patient can be lifted bodily from themattress.

A further object is to provided elevating or handling means which can beshifted to turn the patient without requiring any effort on the part ofthe patient,

A still further object is to provide handling mechanism which can beeasily actuated, is compact and durable and is efficient in operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the reciseembodiment of the invention herein 5 the scope of what is claimed,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bed having thepresent improvements combined therewith.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through a portion of one of thesegments and adja cent parts.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 Fig. 3.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a bedstructure and secured to the head and foot of the bed at the centersthereof are elongated guide housings 2 preferably formed of channelstrips having their open faces extended inwardly. The upper and lowerends of these open faces are closed by attaching strips 3 extendin thecounty of Vigo and State of Indiana, havev inventeda new and nfaceaofeach housingQ is astud isclosed, can be made within j "Specification ofLetters Patent. 'i 'PatentdAu 5,1919. Application filed April 12, 1917.Serial 17051615560. I

. ing upwardly sand downwardly from s the *StIlpS and secured tothebedstructure.

Slidably mounted 'withineach of the housings 2 is "a bar A a portion ofwhich is provided with rack 'teethcb. -Extending from each bar andprojecting from the open 6 on which is pivotally mounted a segment 7extendin throughout the. greater portion of the width of the bed andwhich segment may have "open11'1gs'8 -there1n near itsends. Thesesegments are located directly opposite each other and are adapted toswing freely from their supporting studs. The studs fixed on the barsare limited in their downward movement by the housing.

Journaled upon the head and foot of the bed is a longitudinal shaft 8having gears 9 which engage the teeth 5 on the two bars 4. A ratchetwheel 10 is secured to this shaft and is normally engaged by a pawl 11mounted on one end of the bed.

A sprocket 12is secured to shaft 8 and is engaged by a chain 13 adaptedto receive motion from a sprocket 14: secured to a shaft 15. This shaftis journaled in a bracket 16 secured to one end of the bed and a gear 17is secured to said shaft and meshes with another gear 18 which, in turn,is secured to a drive shaft 19 journaled in the bracket 16. Any suitablemeans, such as a crank arm 20 may be provided for rotating the shaft 19.

t is to be understood that under ordinary conditions, the segments 7hang freely from their pivot studs 6. When a patient is to be raised thesheet on which the patient is resting is drawn tightly at its ends aboutthe respective segments 7 and fastened to said segments in any mannerdesired. For example, tapes or other fastening means can be extendedthrough the openings 8 and tied about the sheet. After the sheet hasthus been secured, the shaft 19 is rotated so that motion will betransmitted to shaft 8' and the gears 9 cause the rack bars 4 to moveupwardly. Therefore the segments will also be carried upwardly and willlift the patient from the mattress. While the patient is thus supported,the segments 7 can be swung on their supporting studs, thus to turn thepatient from one side to the other, and after' the patient has beenturned, the segments .can be lowered so that the patient will bereplaced on the mattress.

What I claimed is t .1. Apparatus of the class described ineluding a bedstructure, guide housings connected to the ends of the bed,,membersslidably mounted within the housings, studs thereon and limited in theirdownward movement by the housings, segments pivctally connected to thestuds, and means for simultaneously raising and lowering said members,said means including a shaft journaled on the ends of the bed structure,gears upon the shaft engaging the respective slidable members, anoperating shaft below the said gears andwit-hin convenient reach of theoperator, and means for transmitting motion from said operating shaft tothe gear shaft.

2. The combination with a bed structure,

of channel strips secured to the ends of the structure and having theiropen faces pre- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

sented inwardly, attaching strips secured within the end portions of thechannel strips and attached to the bed structure, bars slidably mountedwithin the channel strips and projecting upwardly therefrom, studsextending from the respective bars and projecting between and limited intheir downward movement by the attaching strips, segments pivotallyconnected to and movable 1\[yith the studs, and means for sliding thears.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses. v

- THEODORE L. FOUST.

lVitnesses: r

JAMES F. SLADE,

Gnonen WELEEN.

Washington, D. G.

